The rush to back lidar companies continues as more automakers and robotaxi startups include the remote sensing method in their vehicles. Latest to the investment boom is Hesai, a Shanghai-based lidar maker founded in 2014 with an office in Palo Alto. The company just raised over $300 million in a Series D funding round led… Continue reading Chinese lidar maker Hesai lands $300M led by Hillhouse, Xiaomi, Meituan
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Tesla’s head of heavy duty trucking has left the company
Jerome Guillen, a critical executive at Tesla who was working on the development and eventual production of the Tesla Semi has left the company, the automaker said Monday in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Guillen’s departure comes just three months after he was moved from the president of automotive position, which… Continue reading Tesla’s head of heavy duty trucking has left the company
Bosch opens $1.2 billion chip plant in Germany
Germany technology and parts supplier Robert Bosch opened a €1 billion ($1.2 billion) chip factory in Dresden, Germany on Monday, the single largest investment in the company’s history. The plant, which will mainly supply automotive customers, is a major signal that connected and electric vehicles are here to stay. “Regardless of which powertrain we talk… Continue reading Bosch opens $1.2 billion chip plant in Germany
Astra to acquire electric in-space propulsion company Apollo Fusion
Astra, the space launch startup with plans to go public via a SPAC merger, will acquire electric propulsion maker Apollo Fusion, the company said Monday. Electric propulsion systems are effective at moving spacecraft from lower to higher orbits, even to the moon, Astra Chief Engineer Benjamin Lyon said in a blog post Monday, pointing to… Continue reading Astra to acquire electric in-space propulsion company Apollo Fusion
The Station: Aurora gets closer to a SPAC deal, Spin’s new strategy and Waymo One app numbers
The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click The Station — to receive it every weekend in your inbox. Hello and welcome back to The Station, a weekly newsletter dedicated to all the ways people and packages move (today and in the future) from Point A to… Continue reading The Station: Aurora gets closer to a SPAC deal, Spin’s new strategy and Waymo One app numbers
4 women in engineering discuss harassment, isolation and perseverence
Women engineers often face workplace and career challenges that their male colleagues don’t because they remain a minority in the profession: Depending on how you count, women make up just 13% to 25% of engineering jobs. That inequity leads to a power imbalance, which can lead to toxic working environments. One of the more infamous… Continue reading 4 women in engineering discuss harassment, isolation and perseverence
Elon Musk officially hits the brakes on Tesla Model S Plaid+
Tesla CEO Elon has made it official and publicly cancelled plans to produce the Model S Plaid+, a supercharged version of the upcoming Plaid version of the electric vehicle that will be delivered to the first customers this month. Musk’s reason: Plaid is so good that another variant isn’t needed. “Model S goes to Plaid… Continue reading Elon Musk officially hits the brakes on Tesla Model S Plaid+
Cruise can now give passengers rides in driverless cars in California
Cruise, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of GM that also has backing from SoftBank Vision Fund, Microsoft and Honda, has secured a permit that will allow the company to shuttle passengers in its test vehicles without a human safety operator behind the wheel. The permit, issued by the California Public Utilities Commission as part of its… Continue reading Cruise can now give passengers rides in driverless cars in California
Autonomous vehicle startup Aurora in final talks to merge with Reid Hoffman’s newest SPAC
Autonomous vehicle startup Aurora is close to finalizing a deal to merge with Reinvent Technology Partners Y, the newest special purpose acquisition company launched by LinkedIn co-founder and investor Reid Hoffman, Zynga founder Mark Pincus and managing partner Michael Thompson, according to several sources familiar with the talks. One of the sticking points is the… Continue reading Autonomous vehicle startup Aurora in final talks to merge with Reid Hoffman’s newest SPAC
Rebranded Toyota Ventures invests $300 million in emerging tech and carbon neutrality
Toyota AI Ventures, Toyota’s standalone venture capital fund, has dropped the “AI” and is reborn as, simply, Toyota Ventures. The fund is commemorating its new identity by investing an additional $300 million in emerging technologies and carbon neutrality via two early-stage funds: the Toyota Ventures Frontier Fund and the Toyota Ventures Climate Fund. The introduction… Continue reading Rebranded Toyota Ventures invests $300 million in emerging tech and carbon neutrality